Chickengate '09

A couple of weeks ago, local Popeyes chicken-and-biscuits restaurants ran a special offer of eight peices of fried chicken for $4.99.  The restaurants ran out of chicken by mid-day, with hilarious results. This clip from the local ABC affiliate WHAM was picked up by Howard Stern, and has been floating around youtube since.

Apparently Kentucky Fried Chicken did not learn from Popeyes' mistake.  KFC recently ran an Oprah-endorsed special offering a free grilled chicken meal, but apparently many people have had trouble downloading the coupon, some restaurants have refused to accept the coupon, and many restaurants were overwhelmed with large crowds and long lines. Here are some choice snippets from the CNN.com report.

Hungry consumers could visit Oprah.com, where for the next 24 hours they were supposed to be able to download a coupon for the meal that included two pieces of the company's new grilled chicken menu item, two side orders and a biscuit.

What ensued was a coupon craze that was for some a headache.

[snip]

 "I'm a big girl," Shannon Edwards told CNN affiliate WBAL-TV in Baltimore, Maryland, on Thursday after she was turned away from a KFC. "I like to eat. So I'm kind of disappointed I have to go to McDonald's now."

[snip]

Winfrey is "a powerhouse" whose fans cannot be denied, said [a public relations consultant Allen C. Marcus].

"I think they underestimated Oprah," Marcus said. "She's got a lot of influence, and she has earned a following over many years."

[snip]

 Winfrey acknowledged some of the issues surrounding the campaign, and called the download of 10.5 million coupons and giveaway of $42 million worth of free food from KFC "quite a hookup."

[snip]

Winfrey said the reaction to the chicken coupon surpassed even her giveaway of cars to audience members a few years ago.